Colorado’s Travis Hunter may want to look to a former Mountain State player’s career as he enters the NFL

With the NFL Draft fast approaching, a favorite name for sports talking heads and pundits to toss around is former Colorado star Travis Hunter.
Many believe the Cleveland Browns, picking No. 2, will select Hunter because of his skill as both a receiver and cornerback. He’s portrayed as the Shohei Otani of football.
Of course, there have been other two- and three-way NFL players over the years.
Hunter’s former coach, Deion “Prime Time” Sanders, for instance, was a heck of an NFL cornerback, punt returner and wide receiver, especially with the Dallas Cowboys.
Yet one of the best, most effective such NFL players played college ball right here in West By God Virginia.
Troy Brown, now an offensive assistant for New York Giants coach Brian Daboll, played football for coach Jim Donnan and the Marshall Thundering Herd in 1991-92 and eventually was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
At Marshall, Brown starred as a receiver and led Division I-AA in both kickoff and punt return average. He and Todd Donnan once hooked up for a 99-yard reception against VMI. In 1992 the Herd won a national title, and he sealed the deal with an interception on a Youngstown State Hail Mary attempt.
His career kickoff return average was a record-setting 29.69 yards per return. He also set a record with four kickoff returns for TDs.
It’s someone Travis Hunter may want to study as he moves to the NFL. See, Brown was a triple threat, making impacts on offense, defense and special teams.
Picked in the eighth round (198 overall) in the 1993 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots Brown quickly became beloved in the Boston region.
As a receiver, he had 557 catches for 6,366 yards and 31 touchdowns in his 15-year career – including a 24-yard TD against Miami in a 2003 wild card playoff win. On defense, he made 39 tackles, broke up five passes and had three interceptions. On special teams, he was a threat as a punt returner with 2,625 yards and three return TDs. Pittsburgh fans may remember his 55-yard punt return for a score against the Steelers in the 2001 AFC Championship victory.
The former Patriot began his career at wide receiver but filled in at cornerback for several years whenever Bill Belichick called his number. Brown was a three-time Super Bowl champion for the Pats and made the Pro Bowl in 2001 as a receiver. He caught 101 Tom Brady passes for 1,199 yards and five TDs to help New England to their first ever Super Bowl win.
A true Swiss-Army knife player, Brown served as New England’s primary returner for several years. He continued to play both sides through his final games in 2006.
Again, there are a handful of other players that made a name playing multiple positions: Pittsburgh’s Kordell Stewart was a “Slash” because of his use at QB and wide receiver; Mike Vrabel played linebacker and tight end for the Patriots. If you want to go real old school, look to Chuck Bednarik of the Philadelphia Eagles, who played center and linebacker; Bronko Nagurski, who played fullback and defensive line; and Sammy Baugh, known as a QB, but also a defensive back.
But if Hunter is looking for a fine player to pattern his NFL career after, he might just look to that former Mountain State college player: New England Patriots Hall of Fame honoree Troy Brown.
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.